Red-hot Ricardo Pepi can't be stopped, as USMNT star nets hat-trick for PSV in clash with Groningen

Named to PSV's starting XI in place of regular starter Luuk de Jong, Ricardo Pepi continued to make the most of his opportunities with three more goals on Saturday.

With his side already up 1-0, Pepi made it two by breaking through on the left-hand side, holding off his defender and picking out a corner to push PSV's lead to two. In the second half, with PSV up 3-0, Pepi went on to make it four before then adding PSV's fifth in the 78th minute.

The hat-trick brings Pepi's remarkable goal total up to nine this season, putting him atop the leaderboard in the Eredivisie Golden Boot race.

Watch the full highlights of the match, including Pepi's hat-trick, on YouTube.

With the goals, Pepi has now scored in each of his last four games, having recorded his two for the USMNT after netting for PSV against NAC Breda just before the international break. He now has nine goals in the Eredivisie, despite playing less than 600 minutes for the club so far this season.

Pepi's goalscoring run has him right back in the race to be the USMNT's starting No. 9 as he looks to surpass this past summer's starter Folarin Balogun.

Pepi's incredible goals-per-minute ratio has carried over from last season, in which he scored seven goals in just 459 Eredivisie minutes. Prior to that, Pepi had thrived with Saturday's opponents, FC Groningen, breaking out with 12 goals in 29 appearances for the club while on loan in 2022-23.

With Saturday's hat-trick, Pepi also becomes the first PSV player to have two or more goal involvements in four consecutive starts since September 2002.

Following the clash with Groningen, PSV will prepare for their next Champions League match. Up next in Europe is a home match against Shakhtar Donetsk as PSV look to seal a place in the knockout rounds.